Work At Home Dad - Ty Tribble

Whoooo...(sigh)

Sorry for the lapse. Been busy. I was always under the impression that Network Marketing is slow in the summer months. Last summer my Network Marketing business grew 50-100% each month (it was a small group to begin with) and this summer we are growing 15-20% a month. I have a dozen phone calls to make to folks that want more information. On top of that, I have a ton of work to get done for my main internet business that is going really well for the summer season, and I have to spend some time in the real estate investing area if I am going to get that off of the ground in the next couple of months.

I have to organize my time better! Time is money, my old boss used to say. But right now, it's time for bed.

Update on the 2700 sq/ft house...it turned out to be a former Meth Lab. People Died. Not Pretty. But it sold the same day I looked at it for higher than asking price. I have looked at a few other houses since then and will have a real estate venture update before the end of the week.

Ciao!

Work At Home Dad

Started a New Company Today

I just started an LLC today with my in-laws in order to buy, fix, and sell houses. Yes, I am officially a real estate investor, or so it says on our business license.

The first house I am looking at is absolutely trashed, but is over 2700 square feet in a good neighborhood and is listed at $185,900. My first impression is that if we put $10-20,000 into it, we could turn it around for $240-$250,000. I am thinking about offering $165,000. The place doesn't look like it gets much traffic and may have been on the market a while.

In order to give context to the above numbers, I should mention that I am from the Seattle, Washington area, where the median home price is over $300,000.

Send me an email if you have any experience in real estate. I would love to hear from you.

Link Wednesday

I am going to start doing a regular post each wednesday aptly titled Link Wednesday. Just some links to tidbits of information that I find interesting, funny, or helpful. Enjoy.

Ideas to promote your site.

The Blog Only Diet.

A GMail Review.

Interviewing at Microsoft.

The Sweatiest City.

Cuckoo for Coco Cox.

Blow Out

I was thinking about all of the different ways I get business ideas. Finding a mentor and being a fanatical reader are given, but lately I have found interesting ideas and inspiration from odd places.

Bravo has launched another show following the trials and tribulations of a small business owner. In Blow Out, Jonathan Antin, apparent hairstylist to the stars, is opening a hair salon in Beverly Hills. If you have never experienced the start up of a business from scratch, watch this show and see how difficult it can be. You would think that sinks, mirrors, and scissors would be a lot less stressful. Most people consider me an optimist and from my experience starting a business usually takes twice as long and costs twice as much money. Go get 'em tiger!

Tonight...

...10 Girl Scout Brownies will invade my home for a sleepover. My 3-year old son loves the ladies. But ten-7 year old girls might be a bit much. I think the boy and I are going to escape to Grandma's for the evening. We will combat the girly stuff by watching baseball and playing Halo.

OK. I have to go vacuum now.

Good Advice...Handwrite A Note

From: Duct Tape Marketing

Nobody hand writes a note these days. Well, most nobody. But that's what makes it so effective as a marketing tool. Look it's pretty effective as a nice thing to do too but this is a marketing weblog so I figure that's what you want to hear about.

Every Friday I make a point of jotting off 5 handwritten notes. I say thanks, I say howdy, I say let's have coffee, I say saw you in the paper last week...whatever comes to mind.

I send them to clients, friends, competitors, suppliers, and prospects.

I know this is an effective use of my time simply because of the amount of people who comment favorably about this practice.

I always keep a box of note cards and envelopes, with nothing on them but my name, so I can use them for just about any occasion - personal or business.

So, turn off the TV, shut down the computer, log off your email and take out a pen. You'll be amazed at how good it makes you feel.

Ronald Reagan

Two of my favorite quotes come from Ronald Reagan:

"America is too great for small dreams."

"Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams."

Ronald Reagan
1911-2004

Here are some other quotes from President Reagan that you might enjoy:

"Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. And recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his."

"I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion has already been born."

"Above all we must realize that no arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women."

I was only 11 when he was sworn into office but I remember the moral of the country taking a swing toward optimism. President Reagan was a man that loved his wife and family as well as his country. I like that.

Traffic and Hay

Yesterday, I procrastinated picking up a bale of hay for my wife, who is this years co-chair for my daiughter's wild west themed school carnival. When I finally got around to leaving my house to drop off some packages at UPS and pick up my wife's hay, it was 4:15PM.

The trip to the hay place was no big deal, about 25 minutes including my stop at UPS. I arrived at the front counter of the hay place and asked for a bale of hay.

Here is the shortened version of my exchange with the hay lady:

Me: Where do I go to get a bale of hay?

Hay Lady: What Kind?

Me: What kind?

Hay Lady: Yes, what kind of hay would you like?

Me: You have more than one kind of hay?

Hay Lady: Yes

Me: Do you have somthing like a decoration type of hay?

Hay Lady: You mean straw?

Me: I thought all hay was straw.

Hay Lady: Nope.

Me: OK, straw it is.

Hay Lady: $5.27, pull around the side and the hay guy will load you up.

The 9 mile trek back home took about 70 minutes as the traffic inched along at 5 miles an hour. I began to realize that people do this traffic thing every day, and it was especially ironic when I looked in my rear view mirror and saw someone I used to work for in the car behind me. Working at home is good.

Note to Michelle Duggar...STOP!

Was there any doubt the father was named Jim Bob?

'All smiles' Arkansas woman gives birth to 15th child

Just a little good natured fun. I'm sure they are very nice people and I certianly wish them well.

Update: Please keep the comments civil. I will delete anything that is offensive and ban the person from commenting in the future.

5/1/2006 Update: This post has certainly taken on a life of it's own. I never expected to have a one sentence blog post about Michelle Duggar land in the top 3 on Google.

Here are a couple of other posts related to Michelle Duggar:

Michelle Duggar is back

Comments about Michelle Duggar

Please remember to keep all comments civil. I don't mind opinions on both sides, I do mind offensive comments.